Under This Weight We Grow

3 Wishes

2012-02-20T21:50:00.003-05:00

My mom recently gave away a piano that was puruchased when I was 7 and has sat in roughly the same spot since then. When she moved it she found two notecards that I had written:

My best guess is that this was a school assignment where we were asked to speculate on what a historical figure or a fictional character might wish for. I recognize the printing as mine but I have no recollection of doing this. It reminds me though that we are not, as we often assume we are, living life in a progressive linear way. We don't continue to build on a foundation that remains intact through the years, but its more like we are constantly selectively erasing our past behind us, trimming the fat, to make space for new memories, new experiences. So it doesn't nessecarily always mean that my present brain knows more than any one of my past brains, as in this example, I currently have no idea who Bruce could possibly be. And I will probably never know again. But I did know that. Once.

Offerings Cover Complete!

2012-02-19T16:34:00.002-05:00

More Stitches

2012-01-22T00:36:00.004-05:00

The inner crewelwork for the Offerings cover sampler is done! Here it is in colour (its natural state) and Black and White (what it will look like in printed format). I just have to finish the borders and tackle those braids!

Offerings

2012-01-10T23:44:00.004-05:00

Lots of stitching happening around these parts. I reckon they'll be a lot more too.
Here's some scans of the Offerings cover progress, to get an idea of what its going to look like:

Sketchbook Excerpts

2011-12-28T14:00:00.005-05:00

I try to draw everyday, and I have amassed a little collection of drawings that may never see the light of day again, so here's some highlights for you:

The ink drawing below is a detail of the cross-stitch sampler I am making for the March cover of Offerings. I am stitching it right now, its a thing of beauty I must say!

Mary Blair's 100th Birthday!

2011-10-21T22:49:00.003-04:00

One of my favourite ladies of all time was born today, Mary Blair is the artistic genius behind early Disney, from the 1940's through to the 70's. Her style became synonymous with the brand and even if you've never heard of her you have undoubtedly seen and loved her work,(she worked on the concept art for Peter Pan, Cinderella, and Alice in Wonderland to name a few). She also did illustrations for children's books, magazine ads, and other things. There are many illustrators working today that owe kudos to Mary Blair(whether they realize it or not.)

Forest Fire

2011-09-03T10:39:00.005-04:00

I've been working a lot lately- but on things that are so time consuming the progress feels almost imperceptible. I will show you those things next week I promise! I've made more progress on all of my needlework experiments and I had started making these little matchstick birds, each one being very labour intensive, articulating the wood of a match to give it the curve of a bird's body. And once I've finished a decent number of them I plan to burn them for a video (or several I haven't decided yet.)

On top of that stuff I'm trying to take full advantage of the harvest this year and can as much food as possible. Pickles! Red Pepper Jelly! Peach Jam! Onion Thyme Jam! Tomatoes! So I spend a disproportionate amount of time thinking about food. I will be teaching a canning workshop at the Halo Halo Village sometime in October so I will keep you posted about details.

But I'm also thinking about forest fires. I have various projects on the horizon that are in their conception stage right now and if I had to make them tomorrow they'd all born from forest fires. My lovely yoga instructor, (Meichen Wa xer) frequently speaks of the idea of burning away that which doesn't serve you and I feel very connected to this idea, whether its carrying around dead weight in our bodies, or emotional burdens, or even behavioral patterns we find ourselves stuck in. Forest Fires, though destructive, are also regenerative and in the wake of the destruction new growth can form. Burning the layer of decomposing matter on the forest floor into pure nutrients actually speeds up the process that occurs naturally quite significantly. Some types of trees only release their seeds in extreme heat as well. And of course cycles have always been of great interest to me.
Plus look how beautiful:

Blindness and Sight

2011-07-24T11:48:00.004-04:00

Alana (my older sister) takes a lot of good photographs. Sometimes she posts them on her tumblr: http://shewasready.tumblr.com/
Here's an amazingly weird photo she took of me at the cottage:
You should admire it on her tumblr- it looks better on there, such strange darkness and light. This picture is prophetic- it shows me as a future Sage Forest Dweller. Nice job as always, Alana.

Needle of Death

2011-07-24T11:08:00.003-04:00

My camera was sitting in a bag at VSVSVS for a week therefore I couldn't upload these - and then of course as I was preparing for the AGM show that opened on Thursday (Meet Us on the Commons curated by Elizabeth Underhill- you need to go see it, it is a wonderful show) Everything that could go wrong did. So that's why this has taken so long.

But here is the documentation of some of the embroidery tattoos I did at VSVSVS for Eat, Sleep, Breathe, (and shit).

Thank you for being a friend

2011-06-28T00:08:00.005-04:00

Nuit Blanche Devereaux was on Saturday and I spent the whole day in High Park with Maria, Tamara, Karie and a bunch of dogs intoxicated with their momentary freedom. I had made three site-specific garments which were modeled all day- a dress that was buttoned around a person and a tree, a dress with fishing nets across the bottom, and a shirt that was half buried so its wearer had to lie on the ground to wear it.
Here's the pictures:

The rest from that day are on my Flickr Here. Have a gander!

Everyday-a little closer

2011-06-11T22:58:00.005-04:00

Since all of the three things I'm working on simultaneously are all moving at a snail's pace (Slow and steady wins the race!) I thought I'd wiggle some more progress in front of your face. I'm editing the footage for the Draw Near (rat king) piece and I'm almost done! But I need to make the audio track so I can't show it to you yet. But I can show you some stills! This was filmed by the talented and affable J.M. McNab:

Draw Near

2011-06-03T11:57:00.004-04:00

We all took a field trip on Sunday to Maria's Mom's Farm in Tottenham to shoot the final video for the rat king piece. Everything went so smoothly I'm worried what awful snag waits for me around the corner. So we still need to do the editing but here are some pictures I took.

This Night Has Opened My Eyes

2011-05-14T12:47:00.004-04:00

The VCR Dungeon was open for business last night and it was a huge success! Everyone's hard work paid off. There were some real top notch pieces and performances. Here is the installation shot of my piece- This Night Has Opened My Eyes (Broken Glasses Collection):

It's eighty pairs of found glasses, a florescent light and plywood with light holes. It turned out so great, I'm really pleased. And now just some shots of the show:

The world's friendliest Bar-keep- Karie Liao! What a babe!

Pay the troll toll! Mairi in her home- an actual hole in the wall.

Man Made Hill set with projections by Exploding Motor Car.

End of the night weary Villagers 'keeping the circle unbroken' TQ shots.

Salon chills.

My piece beside the highly coveted Jacket by Martina Hwang- they are so perfect together.

End of the night Jacob Horwood installation view and just to the side you can see Mike Gagne's work. It was such a rad show and so many people worked their arses off to pull it off- In addition to Randy, Jeff, and I there was also Jan, Sally, Kat, Victoria, Hainey, Damen, Mairi, Karie, Alicia, Mani, and I'm sure there's others. It takes a village, guys.

Having Reached a Climax

2011-05-04T14:16:00.005-04:00

My latest cross-stitch endeavor is a copy of this Tadanori Yokoo poster:

Here's my current progress:

Its going very quickly and it has got me thinking about animation with cross-stitch, one piece per frame. I would love to do ten seconds of an 8-bit video game just as a test something like this: (my favourite!)

But! One thing at a time! I have to prepare for the show coming up next week at Halo Halo Village, (Newest project space run by Jeff Garcia of Earth Ship fame) Randy is curating a show called VCR Dungeon! I'll be showing my broken glasses collection. Drop by!
Here's a Promo video that Randy made for it:

AND trees are growing from the garbage on our roof! Exciting, right? I hope there's a forest there by the time I wake up tomorrow.

The Millenium Pilgrim

2011-05-02T18:46:00.003-04:00

Today I was walking to the grocery store as the schools were letting out. I was dressed as I normally dress- puffy skirt, black cloak, hair in braids. I passed a group of teenage boys whom I could tell found my attire pretty comical and so once they were a safe distance away they yelled back at me- 'Which state did you settle in?' And laughed as they ran away.

As far as I can ascertain the insult here is that I look like a pilgrim.

Which got me thinking about the Millenium Pilgrim, have you seen this RV? This so called Pilgrimobile? This man descibes himself as a Secular Sage. This, taken from his website, floored me:

"I have explored the sacred Isle of Iona, climbed the Tor at Glastonbury, vigiled on the island of Lough Derg in Ireland, stood on the Bridge of the Angels in Rome, gazed out across the Sea of Galilee, wandered through India. I have walked five hundred miles of the ancient pilgrim's route, El Camino de Santiage,the first time the second time, the third time in Spain, participated in the sun dance of the Plains Indians, pilgrimaged across America, received Kalachakra Initiation from the Dalai Lama, and much more."

I would really like to meet this man.

Down on the Farm

2011-04-25T21:27:00.005-04:00

We went to Randy's step-mom's mom's farm on Saturday and it was incredible, total time capsule. The farm hasn't been functional for a while now. Randy and I did some exploring- he did some recording in the cement silo and I took many, many pictures.
Here's the greatest hits of said pictures:

If not now then when

2011-04-12T17:24:00.006-04:00

Martina sent me a selection of the photos from the shoot we did a few weeks ago. The following is some process shots from the braid- Rat King piece:

And a few nice documenting shots. That lovely fabric piece on the wall is by Victoria Cheong. Quality woman.

Everyone will be mad at me for posting this shot but I love it! It had to be done- I'm sorry!

So these next few are from the same day- they are sample shots for a projection I will be doing where I am trying to take off this dress that I've been sewn into. The keys are in reference to Bluebeard's Key. Which I will discuss at a later date. Remind me, ok?

That Martina Hwang! Another Quality Woman!

Rat King!

2011-03-28T22:41:00.003-04:00

Oh my! How lovely it worked out! I'm afraid you'll have to wait for the lovely pictures that Martina took. I spent 45 minutes braiding them and it was grueling but I'm so pleased with how it looks.

This king includes, Karie Liao, Megan Sproule, Erin Loree, Johnell McClelland , Jordan Armstrong, Louise Bak, and Isla Craig. Be patient for more photos- it will be worth the wait!

Verncaular

2011-03-27T18:18:00.003-04:00

My dad is a linguistic genius, and my sisters and I always stand in awe of the things he says, which he always says as though they are expressions that everyone uses. He grew up on a farm so I feel that he has left the time and place that understands his turns of phrase, but I plan on passing the torch of this dying dialect on to you. Here are some of my Dadisms Greatest Hits:

To ace- To finish something (usually in reference to food)
To deep-six- To throw something away (also usually in reference to food)
A slim streak of misery- descriptive phrase for a person, I assume it means a tall miserable person but I've yet to have this confirmed.
Bush Tigers- Chipmunks
To hit the bed trail- To go to bed
Whadja lose?- A frequent rhetoric often used in situations were someone appears to have a dilemma or problem they are working out. Or if they look grumpy or tired.
Since before Christ was a cowboy (or Since Christ was a cowboy)- I assume this means a long time ago, but he seems to use it infrequently and catch me off-guard with it so I often forget the context in which it was used.
Little Chicago- my sister Alana claims that he asked her once if people still refer to Angus (a small town near the small town he grew up in) as Little Chicago. This one baffles me.
Like a fart in a mitt- Actually my mom said this one and all three of us heard it and exchanged bewildered glances. When we pressed her about what she meant she replied 'you know, like all over the place' . We pointed out that a fart in a mitt would be contained to which she had no reply.

Alana also recently heard our Uncle Paul say, 'well, its better than a kick in the face with a frozen boot!'

I agree.

A Fortnight at the Opera

2011-03-02T11:25:00.002-05:00

So the Article about my Fortnight Piece (at the Earth Ship) by Maria Golikova is now online:
Read it here.
And for those of you who may have been directed here by the article you will find images and video of Fortnight here.

Thanks Maria, a very eloquent description and an interesting experience of the piece.

Cedar Waxwing

2011-03-01T18:41:00.003-05:00

Here's a silly thing I'm working on: My mom used to get these mail order embroidery kits from Creative Circle and while digging through some long forgotten boxes in the basement my sister and I found a kit for these bird embroidery pieces. It comes with all the yarn you need and instructions, its the needlepoint version of a paint by numbers. So I'm playing with the format and tricking them out a little. Here's the first one more or less done:

The back looks good too! Makes me want to do a series of text based embroideries where the writing is backwards on the front so the back is the front.

I'll show you what it was supposed to look like at a later juncture- I'm sick of messing around with the computer today.
See you in my dreams!

Hair Club

2011-02-24T23:19:00.005-05:00

Tonight I had my sister Megan, Isla Craig and Jordan Armstrong over for a practice braid in preparation for a video we will be shooting soon. The idea is a short piece that shows the laboured movements of seven girls with their hair braided together like a human rat king (look it up if you'd never heard of it and prepare to be horrified).
So it worked out nicely with three; I will need to test my braiding skills with more but here's the highlights:

Thanks for your patience and endurance ladies!

Heart Valley

2011-02-15T17:16:00.004-05:00

I just wanted to show you the lovely little paper-cuts I made for my lovely man:

Remember making construction paper valentines with those cheap paper doilies? I wish I had saved all of those things, Valentines day is not about chocolate and flowers and diamond jewelery it is about Arts and Crafts, people!

Sweet Completion

2011-02-09T19:14:00.003-05:00

Finished! The show its in is on Friday February 11th, from 9pm to 2am at The White House (277.5 Augusta ave). So come by and admire it in all its miniature glory! I should thank my carpenter of course, Alan Sproule, my Dad can make one heck of a pine box!

They Never had a Moment to Flee Alive

2011-02-05T12:26:00.005-05:00

More houses on fire! Here's some progress shots of the burning house for my diorama that will be shown at the White House Studio Project next Friday (the 11th of February).

The house is about 4" by 4" by 15" (to the top of the smoke).

Made of course from my favourite materials- coloured mylar and balsa wood. More soon!

Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death

2011-02-05T11:20:00.004-05:00

I'm working on a piece right now for a show that is exploring death and speculation about the afterlife. Its a shadow-box diorama depicting one of the scenes from one of the narratives from my Maidens, Spindles, and Mother of All piece. The story about the children arsonists (I will post soon with progress shots).

So constructing this work got me thinking about miniatures, and some really dynamic miniatures in particular: the Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death constructed by Frances Glessner Lee.

Look:

This woman is the mother of modern forensic science, she constructed these intricate tiny crime scenes, (including working doors, windows, drawers, lights and even keys that came out of the keyholes) which were used as learning tools for police to glean what was important information and what was often overlooked at the scene of a crime. Frances Glessner Lee was in her 50's when she built the dioramas, because as the heiress of a millionaire she was

discouraged from pursuing a career in forensic pathology until later in her life.

Each of the dioramas were constructed on a scale of one foot to one inch. She had craftsman make most of the furniture, but the dolls she made herself.

I am so in love with these dioramas, it seems to be a perfect marriage of things I find fascinating: (for reasons I cannot explain,) miniatures and unexplained death.

There is a book called Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death by Corinne May Botz. I remember seeing it when I worked at David Mirvish Books and I regret not buying it. Amazing stuff, though.

So in my search for Frances Glessner Lee, I found this woman, Daniela Edburg. She has done a series of photographs of women being brought to their untimely end by food products or other modern-day vices. A lot of the photos are based either on famous paintings or horror movies, like this one, my personal favourite, Death by Banana (based of course on Hitchcock's The Birds):

She has another series which makes me think about my own work a lot, the series called Remains of the Day (you will have to look at those on her website, under work). The first few in the series I find really successful, in these photographs she sets up a scene with a barren landscape, a single dead body and some beautifully constructed artificial gore. In the roadkill ones all you see are limbs and blood and intestines made from red satin tubes that have been stuffed. It makes for an incredible image, the tension that is present from the knowledge that these are disembodied limbs, yet seeing that the blood and guts have been fabricated, but still fabricated in such a tactile and beautiful way. It does remind me of aspects of my own work.

So it brings up a question for me that I have often thought about but can't seem to find an answer- Can (and should) my work exist as photographs only? Is a scene like this more or less dynamic live, or can it only create the feeling I want in its mediated form? I am aware of the fact that I make work that takes great photos (as long as its not moving) Should I just be setting up scenes to be filmed or photographed?

Sometimes I think it would be easier (in terms of exhibitions, sale of work, and transportation) to move into the world of photography, but should I do something just because I think it will be easier? Is that lazy? Or am I working myself too hard with too few results in the way I am working now?

Amendment!

2011-02-04T18:12:00.002-05:00

Oh! I made a mistake- the article that is upcoming by Maria Golikova is in the Flying Walrus. So there you have it!

Someday you'll find everything you're looking for

2011-01-21T01:03:00.005-05:00

Sometimes (I mean all the time) I check to see what people have been searching to find my blog, and let me tell you: its good!

Today someone found me by searching: Czech New wave Clarinet! I have no idea what this person was looking for but I pray they found it!

Some other highlights include:

Balls Itch (?)

How to grow the pines

and

Stacey Sproule cd release 2010 (I especially love this one! I have a fan out there somewhere!)

What a weird and wonderful place the internet can be!

Skull and Cross-Stitch

2011-01-16T15:33:00.009-05:00

Welcome to my newest obsession- Cross-stitching. Oh yeah! I'm on a fast track to demolishing my eyesight once and for all.

Since the Earth Ship show I made a triumphant return to 2-D and I was drawing a bit (nothing to write home about) and doing embroidery. I started a small series of embroidered text pieces that take quotes from Internet memes: (see below from Winnebago Man)

and I'm kind of using those as practice pieces in a way to brush up on my crewel stitches and to teach myself more. And I evidently dipped my toe in the cesspool of cross-stitch and came home with a full blown cross-stitch PARASITE!

For those of you wondering what in the blazes I'm going on about, I implore you once again to BEHOLD:

This of course is just a practice image, here's what the pattern looks like:

so its tedious work but I obviously love it. This is the very beginning of a series of cross-stitch samplers I plan to stitch that are based on antique samplers that were made and given as gifts for momentous occasions. I plan to re-work the imagery and text to suit my needs but more about that later, that project is only a baby right now.

Also I sincerely apologize for my tardy posting, my computer (like my gut and my thinker) is on the fritz. I'll admit that updates will be few and far between, due to the computer but also because progress is slow and sometimes invisible in projects like this. But let's just hope that my computer, let's call her Doris (because let's admit she's a little past her prime), can pull herself from the depths of this technological existential crisis she's experiencing. We have a team of wizards working day and night to remedy the problem. That's right wizards. Because that's how we do things here, with magic!

Speaking of wizards, I will leave you with an anecdote and an unrelated video (to sweeten the deal). Once in a community pool locker-room I was approached by a woman who didn't see the need for wearing any clothes while she implored strangers to read instructions aloud for her on the sides of hair product bottles. (a side note to this story- I am frequently asked by strangers questions that I couldn't possibly know the answer to, I am led to believe I have the stereo-typical look of someone who is an expert in unimportant information) She asked me to read the bottle for her because she didn't have her glasses on (even her eyes were naked!) and what I saw on the side of the bottle was this and only this:

For use by wizards only

Which I said aloud, and was then asked to repeat by the naked lady. Then she left.

I might be exaggerating but the story is true.

ok! Love you! Miss you! Also: if you attend York University or frequent its hallowed halls check out the upcoming issue of the Flying Walrus for an article about Fortnight written by Maria Golikova.

Lord help the Mister who comes between me and my sister

2010-11-30T12:16:00.004-05:00

I found this picture in my travels of me and my younger sister Megan, taken not to long ago to settle the score once and for all. You know Megan, you think we look exactly alike. Well not for long my friend, BEHOLD!

In my opinion we don't even look like we are related in this picture, the only feature that is somewhat similar is our hair. Megan, truth be told, bares more of a resemblance to our older sister, Alana. However, what is identical about Megan and I is our voices and I think that's where we foiled you. I even notice it in my own voice especially when speaking to cats or babies or bemoaning the merit (or lack thereof) of someone's art. In these instances I hear Megan's voice standing in for my own. Its very strange. Another thing that may confuse you about which one is Megan and which one is me is that we both love White Christmas. A LOT.
Last year one of the many stations that played the film made a dire mistake in cutting out the most important dance number in the whole film. Let's re-live it!

This number, Megan and I both agree, is integral to the plot of the rest of the movie! The best things really do happen while you're dancing! But how would anyone know that without witnessing this amazing absurd dance interlude!?

So it should be noted that this blog post was written purely for the enjoyment of Megan and I. We are both sitting in front of our computers giggling right now. Which of course is a past-time of ours.

Fortnight

2010-11-27T14:53:00.008-05:00

So I finally found my camera cord amongst the rubble and I present you with some shots from the dress rehearsal and two performances of Fortnight at the earth ship.

The set

Robin Dann and her branch lashes

Alex Samaras in costume

Paige Culley and her house lashes

Paige in her shroud

Paige Culley is the dancer, the two singers are Robin Dann and Alex Samaras and not pictured is Matt Dunn on lap steel and Jordan Armstrong on Clarinet.

And just for fun here's a little low-quality video of a small section of the performance, so you can really see what you missed (or re-live it!)

Tickets are going fast!

2010-11-18T13:11:00.003-05:00

The Saturday night performance is coming close to selling out, so if you are planning on attending but have yet to reserve tickets I highly recommend that you email me (staceysproule@gmail.com) right now and reserve- $10 each Doors at 7:30 Performance at 8pm, Saturday and Sunday.

In other news get ready to have your socks knocked clean off! This is a video of the two singers (Robin Dann and Alex Samaras) who will be in my performance practicing a Meredith Monk piece they will be performing on Friday evening at Somewhere There.
What a treat!

Natural History

2010-11-17T18:01:00.004-05:00

As we draw ever closer I needn't lose sight of my objective here- to present a piece that didn't take more from me than I gave it, to have confidence in the thing that springs from this experience. Each part will converge for the first time on Saturday and I feel pretty good about it right now.
The music is coming together, with the loops of Peggy Seeger made by Randy playing in the background while Jordan Armstrong play live clarinet and Matt (Doc) Dunn plays lap steel over-top. The result is other-worldly! Tomorrow I meet with singers Alex Samaras and Robin Dann to hash out their role in the performance.

I did take a brief vacation- I was on the island on Monday and Tuesday working out backing track stuff with Randy. Monday was a beautiful day to walk the 3.5 km from Wards to the art centre, and I climbed a tree and took some lovely shots I like to gaze at:

Here I am in a tree. If at the end of my life you split up where I spent my time in a pie chart a large slice (I would hope!) would be in a tree, and another large slice would be in or on the water.

The view from the tree, the water looks like tinfoil.

I could just be some branches.

When I saw these trees, they looked so fake to me!

Deserted.

And on my trip back I realised that nothing calms me more than the water. Being on the water, and the wind across it gives me an extraordinary peace that I am incapable of experiencing at any other time. There are moments from my life when I was on a boat on the water and suddenly I was just hit with the feeling of relief. When I was younger my dad used to take us for boat rides after dinner at the cottage, and we would be driving back at dusk and you could see so many bats flying above your head or beside the boat and it was an amazing feeling of things existing in this really delicate way. You could feel the bats fly very close to you and close to the boat but they never hit anything.
Sing it Nick!

Halfway

2010-11-14T14:15:00.002-05:00

Tonight at the Earth Ship feast your eyes on VALERIE AND HER WEEK OF WONDERS!!
Starting at 8pm here at 1345 Davenport Rd (entrance on Bristol). Come and visit with me so I don't go crazy and marvel at my progress. See you soon!

You will always be the bread and the knife

2010-11-13T13:32:00.003-05:00

It is sometimes an appropriate response to reality to go insane - Philip K. Dick

The progress I made yesterday was minimal at best. A few more felted balls, another tree started and another tree finished, a bit of sewing. I can say that what I did make yesterday could be classified as a fine mess! There is a thick covering of cardboard shavings along the floor here and an impressive stack of dishes in the sink. Coming back to a house abandoned and filthy does not make me feel productive.
But I must soldier on.
I did watch a documentary on Philip K. Dick yesterday which was very interesting. Philip K. Dick (in case you did not know) was an American science-fiction writer, he was born in 1928, and died (of a stroke) in 1982. If you think you are not familiar with his work it is pretty likely that you have seen or at least heard of one of the many movies based on his books - Blade Runner (based on Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep), A Scanner Darkly, Total Recall, Minority Report. He was born into poverty, and he had a twin sister, Jane, who died a year after they were born. He always felt that he had killed her because he seemed to eat more and to need to eat more. The idea of his sister haunted him throughout his life. He had been married five times, and none of the marriages ended well. He had a child- a son, Christopher, with his fifth wife and one day she noticed something in his diaper and so took him to the hospital to check it out. The doctor reassured her that it was simply that she was not cleaning him well enough between changings. Philip K. Dick then had this dream or vision wherein it was communicated to him exactly what was wrong with his son which was that he had a very serious hernia and if it was not operated on immediately he would die. They took him back to the hospital and the vision was true. He drew on this experience to write his book VALIS (an acronym which stands for Vast Active Living Intelligence System). It was based on this idea that had god all tied up with artificial intelligence. Anyways, there are a few other instances where his books and his real life experiences collide (unknowingly) with biblical events or some concept of God.
It is something I may never fully understand but it certainly is mind-boggling to think about. If you are interested I would recommend getting a copy of Flow my Tears, the Policeman Said- its my favourite. Let it be known though that there are a lot of stinkers in the PKD oeuvre, Jonathan Lethem wrote an essay (I think its called You Don't Know Dick, its in the Disappointment Artist) which talks very plainly about what you would be getting yourself into. I recommend checking that out as well.
I cannot say I have any brilliant insight to offer on the life of Philip K. Dick (or even the writing for that matter- I have read very few of his novels) But if you are in search of a biographical journey, start following his paper trail. Its fascinating.

Now a few words about the present- I thought I should update you on the schedule- Today (Saturday) is for forest making (its getting so close!)
Sunday during the day will likely be more of that, and Sunday night starting at 8pm SHARP I will be screening Valerie and Her Week of Wonders- an amazing Czech new wave film that is beyond description (in my opinion)
Monday I will NOT BE HERE. DO NOT COME VISIT ME ON MONDAY! I have to take a field trip to get some music things accomplished and we will be back to the regularly scheduled programming on Tuesday.

Also tickets! If you would like to reserve a ticket for either the Saturday November 20th performance (at 8pm) or Sunday November 21st (also at 8pm) please let me know (you can send me a message here or an email at: staceysproule@gmail.com) Tickets are $10.

Its look up and down that long lonesome road

2010-11-11T22:44:00.004-05:00

Today Kathryn surprised me when I got back from a gruelling trip to New Canadians Lumber (twice in one week- I am a glutton for punishment) with FISH AND CHIPS!!! Now that is something to write home about! (ps. Surprise! I eat fish now! I guess I caught the vegan seven year itch)

Things are coming along just fine, I started a dress today (no pictures yet, it still just looks like a wad of wrinkled fabric which, technically, it is) and made some felted balls, here they are drying in the window:

Other than that I just chipped away at the other large tasks- ripping cardboard and gluing it to the trees and cutting still more paper moths. As my mom would say its just like eating an elephant, one thing at a time.

Making more trouble of course.

Giving me the devil

2010-11-10T21:27:00.005-05:00

My smallest studio assistant- Shouty- was in fine form today. She started out the day using the trees as a scratching post and in her excitement almost knocked down all the 12 foot building tubes that are leaning against the walls. She helped me cut things out by practising her slide into home plate (narrowing missing the blade of my scissors). She chased the ends of pencils while I was trying to draw with them, viciously attacked innocent pieces of paper, and stole and lost all of the felted balls I made yesterday. She is sleeping it off right now but I am certain I will wake to the sound of a terriffic diaster.

Here she is making my life difficult (though considerably cuter)

And here she is trying to fool Randy into thinking she is sweet and gentle and docile. Admittedly even my cold heart is warmed with this one.

Today I cut out a buncha moths, but its never enough!

And I cut out this little fella, who shall be glued to an eyelid of a performer in the piece. More to come.

And the trees just looked so nice in the sun today. Feast! Thine! Eyes!

Tree Orfus.

Well as my dad would say time to hit the bed trail. Maybe I will have dreams of pirates and pineapples and muscle relaxant. Good Night Honey!

In the pines in the pines where the sun never shines

2010-11-10T00:58:00.003-05:00

These trees are magically unfolding! Thanks to Kathryn's brilliance and mad craft skills (shout out to White Rose!) and Filip and Minae's endurance we got some serious work done. So we've still a long way to travel- if you have yet to make plans for Saturday during the day or at night pencil me in and come by for some forest building.

And of course Wednesday we are cutting thousands of tiny paper moths and Thursday we are felting so if you are lacking wonder in your life I can give you a quality hit.

Until we meet again!
Stacey

The Roving Jewel

2010-11-08T22:45:00.005-05:00

Whew.
I'm going to impart some wisdom- today I've learned that my stomach wants only for me to fail at everything I try (I'll show you stomach!), I've also learned that twelve foot cardboard tubes are deceptively heavy, and that its real good to have people around that will bear some of the load for you, (both physically and metaphorically). Stay strong everyone, and stay tuned.

Today's the day!

2010-11-07T13:55:00.003-05:00

Today I board the Earth Ship! And being the excellent hosts that they are Jeff and Mairi are throwing a little bash tonight in honour!

But just to recap- at 8pm (SHARP!) I'll be screening Yunnan Colourfree (see image below) if you are a breathing, living, creative being, there is a very good chance that this is something you need to see.

Then at 9 there will be stimulation abound! Performances by Man Made Hill and the Earth House Performance. As well as installations by Exploding Motor Car, Jeff Garica, and a screening by Winston Hacking. Vieja winter fashion line viewing from Japan! Plus dance party including Guy Dalla's ep Godverdomme. Hit a lot of birds with almost no stones at all! Seriously the good times will be effortless tonight! Wish Joni Mitchell a happy 67th and come hang with us!

Also for those of you interested here is a slightly revised version of my residency Schedule:

(Note that each day will be from 9am until 11pm unless otherwise noted. Anyone wishing to help is welcome to drop by at anytime. I will be there.)

Monday November 8th- Structure and foundation building for the forest.

Tuesday November 9th- Sewing day! Help make base dresses for all characters, and the shroud for the funeral scene

Wednesday November 10th- Paper cuts! Help me cut out obscene amounts of delicate tiny things from paper

Thursday November 11th- Needle Felting (no experience required!) learn and help make soft sculpture by needle felting
Friday November 12th- Tree texturizing and wrapping

Saturday November 13th- More forest work, or perhaps a day of rest?
Sunday November 14th- Screening of Valerie and Her Week of Wonders 8pm- PWYC
I'll be screening another film as an introduction to my second week and the coming together of the idea. Valerie and her week of wonders follows the story of a young girl turning into a young woman and the power that she possesses is enticing and mysterious. If you haven't seen it you must! If you have seen it come watch it again!
Monday November 15th- Details- sewing embellishments on the costumes
Tuesday November 16th- more paper cuts

Wednesday November 17th- Music day. Workshopping the piece with the singers and musicians and working out movement with dancers.
Thursday November 18th- Loose ends- (anything and everything that has yet to be completed)
Friday November 19th- Finishing touches and Rehearsals
Saturday November 20th- Opening Night! Performance starts at 8pm- ticket price TBA
Sunday November 21st- Closing Night! Performance starts at 8pm

Of course any help is greatly appreciated and I encourage you to drop by anytime and as often as possible. Also feel free to bring friends or pass this along to them.

The address of the Earth Ship is 1345 Davenport, and the entrance is on Bristol ave

And here's the website for the Earth Ship, including details about my opera- Fortnight.

See you ever so soon!

Love!

Stacey

Never, never

2010-09-03T14:19:00.006-04:00

I can remember a time when it seemed I was collecting and gathering people in my life. At a young age, I mean. I remember my only requirements for someone to have a place in my life be that they were around the same age as me. My friend Allison remembers going door to door asking if there were any other kids inside that wanted to come out and play. When you are a kid you just want to be surrounded by other kids. I feel like I believed as a child that all the problems in the world would dissipate if we built one big kid empire. Like J.M. Barrie, did in Peter Pan. Of course I was painfully shy and introverted, so my utopic visions were terrifying to me in reality. But there's an interesting story about Old J.M. Barrie-

Barrie's brother who was older than him died shortly before his 14th birthday in an accident. His mother was heartbroken, as he was her favourite child. J.M. wore the dead brother's clothes and tried to whistle in the manner that he would have to appease his mother. His mother often found peace in the idea that because his life was cut short in her mind he would remain a boy forever and never grow up and leave her. J.M. Barrie was six years old when his brother died and it is believed that the stress of this caused him to never grow taller than 5' and 3'' and to live an asexual adulthood. The term often applied to this is Psychogenic Dwarfism.

This photo of JM Barrie I find captivating, he does appear like a child playing dress-up. Or a child who dresses as an adult. The delicate wrist that comes out of his sleeve, and his tiny fingers seem to just hang. The heavy folds in his suit make it clear that the body within is much smaller.

He reminds me also of Joseph Cornell, who, though not dwarfed from trauma, was much the same way. He lived with his mother and brother (who had cerebral palsy) on Utopia Parkway (what a sorrow filled name for a street!) for his entire life save the three years he was at school. He spent most of his life caring for his brother and though he was very interested in women he never became involved. One of Cornell's final shows was of boxes that were for children. Hung at a height that could be seen by a child and they served pop and cake at the reception.

These days it seems I add or subtract only one person at a time, slowly building trust and a bond. In our adult lives we are so opinionated that we won't associate with just anyone anymore. But its interesting to me, these two men, how the people in their lives shaped their personalities. And though neither of them had children, nor were really pursuing the means to do so, children were such an important part of their lives and personalities. Why do we have this desire to remain children? I'd like to hear any thoughts on the matter.

Long may you run

2010-06-07T14:20:00.011-04:00

The final day of my show at Forest City Gallery has wrapped up. This is long overdue, I know, but here is a bit of a photo essay- so to speak- of the moments leading up to the performance and the ultimate 'finished product'

And just for fun, here's a bit of footage of the performance- (all video and most of the photos were shot by Victoria Cheong)

So one good turn deserves another, stay tuned to see where life takes me!

In Dark Trees

2010-05-14T10:02:00.006-04:00

I'm taking a break from sewing hundreds of skirt pieces to show off the beautiful shots that Andrew Agnew-Iler took of Clancy Catelin wearing the In Dark Trees costume. Looky!

Maidens, Spindles, and Mother-of-All makes its triumphant debut on June 4th at London's Forest City Gallery. I am doing everything in my power to ensure that it is an unforgettable event.

Until we meet again!

Stacey Sproule

One Thousand People Did What They Could

2010-05-10T09:53:00.004-04:00

As we approach the performance the space in my studio gets smaller and smaller. Stacks of finished skirts, and heaps of scraps, quilt batting, tulle, paper, branches! I did another photo-shoot with the talented Mr. Andrew Agnew-Iler, this time with the lovely Clancy in the costume. It was in Mount Pleasant Cemetery and the pictures will knock your socks clear off. BUT you have to wait to see them. So here's a not so fabulous picture I took that afternoon. At the Massey Mausoleum. If you haven't seen it in person, I suggest you do yourself a favour. It's really magical.

So as we progress towards the finish line I continue to require assistance from the Toronto community- I need narration voices, and hands to help with production (no experience necessary!)

And from the London community- I need more performers!! I know you are out there, show yourselves!

Please Help, I can't do it without you!

Love forever,

Stacey Sproule

Mother-Of-All Fundraiser!

2010-04-06T17:17:00.003-04:00

If you find yourself in the London, Ontario area on the 16th of April may I suggest taking a trip over to 258 Richmond street?

For a mere $5 you will get four stellar performances by four awesome musicians- Man Made Hill, Golden Death Music, Flora, and Aaron Lozynsky.

PLUS There will be a raffle for beautiful objects/services from Awkward Stage, Small House, The Practice Loft, Weezi, and more!

All proceeds will go to the production of Maidens, Spindles, and Mother-of-All, my newest performance debuting at FCG on June 4th with an all London cast!

My advice to you is don't miss it!

Bones

2010-03-26T14:01:00.005-04:00

So Baba Yaga's house (Feverishly possessed by images of witch hunts they set aflame the cabin in the woods-misunderstanding that the threat was only metaphorical- and the blaze quickly spread travelling on the wings of fleeing moths. There were no survivors.
AKA Hey little bird, fly away home, your house is on fire, your children are alone.) is more or less done (I still have to make some kind of a base for it. It's awfully precarious.) Here it is in all its miniature glory:

Writing has been taking up most of my studio time these days, and I've got the bones done of the short story that serves as the narrative background for these characters in my performance Maidens, Spindles, and Mother-Of -All:

Here's a little sample (it is about children arsonists)

Windows popped and broke in small explosions. Curtains were eaten in an instant leaving the plastic rods to melt and contort in a flash of colour before becoming indiscernible amongst the rubble. Sparks and hisses snuck around every corner as objects were touched for the last time and forgotten. One hundred year old sheet music curled into submissive ashes. Recipe cards boasting the world’s best baked goods lost their confidence and fizzled into nothing. Porcelain heirlooms blackened and suffocated and dusty volumes crumbled along with their precarious shelves no longer able to stoically bear the load.
[ they ate at night- filling their dry papery bellies with fibres from his ancient wardrobe. From their post in the closet they spied a beautiful light flickering and licking the baseboards and the doorway. Some younger moths succumbed to lust and went to investigate. One kiss from the flames was all it took for their wings to collapse in a pile of ashes. Witnessing this the others took action. They quickly concluded that the light have somehow escaped and was furious at the moths. And now it was taking names and kicking ass.
They worked together to find the darkest thickest sweater in the closet and inside it they would hide. Yet as the fire grew, it grew to engulf the closet too, it did not discriminate. From the very moment the house caught fire they’d never had a moment to flee alive. It must have been someone’s idea of a very cruel joke.]
It began with the youngest. She felt the dryness creeping up her airway. In an ugly cough three white moths escaped from her mouth.

Collections

2010-03-19T11:20:00.004-04:00

I come from a rich history of pack rats and collectors, and if you've ever seen my house its clear that I am carrying on that tradition. There is something very enticing to me about collecting, I think in this conscious act of deciding what to pick up, what to keep and what to throw away and how to organize it there's an interesting narrative about our lives. It could be our conscious and unconscious minds working in tandem to guide us toward something.

One of my more famous collections is of broken/smooshed eyeglasses or sunglasses. I have upwards of fifty pairs now and people I know have become my collecting mignons- I actually rarely find pairs of them myself anymore, but every few weeks, my sisters or friends hand over a pile of their own findings.

And admittedly it began almost out of spite- I was walking through a parking lot with my Dad and I saw something shiny on the ground, so I picked it up. He said- Oh its just a piece of garbage, throw it away. But it was a perfectly flattened pair of eyeglasses- and I decided to keep them.

But its something I think about, when I find a pair of glasses- has the universe lead me to them? Is it just a coincidence? Is it an Omen? Will I ever just stop finding them?

Someday I'll find something to do with them all, but this is prologue to something that happened yesterday- Bear with me.

I have an old deck of Tarot Cards- 1JJ Swiss Cards infact- the two J's stand for Jupiter and Junon and since this deck was first published in 1831 (my deck is a re-issue from what date I'm not sure, they were hand-me-downs) Jupiter and Junon replaced the Pope and The Popess in the deck so as not to upset the Catholic Church. Anyways the cards are stunning- I don't read tarot (partly because the deck is missing cards) but I often flip through and look at the illustrations. The Justice Card from this deck I had tattooed on my left arm.

These cards are quite special, I've never seen another copy of this deck, and they are quite unique in the illustrations. The backs of the cards are just a beige plaid pattern and so as I walked down King street yesterday, almost outside the Mies Van Der Roe TD Centre, I picked up the card lying in front of me- face down- displaying that familar pattern.

The Card I picked up was L'Imperatrice the Empress. When I got home I flipped through my deck- this was one of the cards I didn't have. Then I looked at the suggested interpretations for this card: Action, Development, Progress, Fruitfulness, Fertility. - Bingo!

So this is really exciting for me.

First- Finding a tarot card- awesomely omnious, I don't read tarot but I do have a strong connection to it. I feel that a tarot reading by someone you know can be a good way not to predict the future (though if you break it down its really just an examination of cause and effect) but to assess the path you are on, and be conscious of where that road can lead you (it's really quite rational).

Second- Finding a tarot card on a busy street that I rarely walk down

Third- Finding a tarot card from the deck that I have- and have an image from permanently on my arm- which I have never seen anywhere else.

and Finally- Finding a tarot card which my deck is missing! The interpretation of which falls in step with the current phase of my major project at the moment.

So collecting could be a way for our unconscious mind to say- hey you need this! It will show you something or teach you something you should know. Or maybe I'm just reading too much into this (but I don't think so.)

I am the Lord of Hellfire and I Bring you....

2010-03-17T13:05:00.004-04:00

FIRE!

I must say that the spring sun really illuminates this piece something magical. So she's ablaze and about half of the moths are in place. The burnt shards of the last two walls still need to go up and the chicken legs need some Physio. But its getting there! Hey, making little things is fun! I don't have to think about what I have to move/throw out just to store it! And it fits in a box! And I can carry it by myself!

How exciting! This will not last for long....

Baba Yaga

2010-02-24T18:15:00.004-05:00

On my mission to ruin my eyes once and for all I've taken on yet another delicate tiny project. I am building a model of Baba Yaga's house on fire (with moths escaping from the flames, naturally).

And in the spirit of silliness I've given it an obscenely long title:

Feverishly possessed by images of witch hunts they set aflame the cabin in the woods-misunderstanding that the threat was only metaphorical- and the blaze quickly spread travelling on the wings of fleeing moths. There were no survivors.

AKA Hey little bird, fly away home, your house is on fire, your children are alone.

Here it is, house frame and floor done plus two exterior walls (quilted) and two interior walls (paper). It's two inches high by six inches deep and six inches wide. I have yet to decide what to make the chicken legs from I do have some chicken feathers to add to it though.

Aren't you Hungry?!?

2010-02-19T18:34:00.005-05:00

So with just over a week to go until my wonderful fun filled Fundraiser Dinner Party. I've perfected the menu and I thought I would post a few pictures to get your heart all a flutter.

Remember tickets are $15 for one or two for $25 and the dinner is on Saturday February 21st at 7pm at Awkward Stage (in Downtown Barrie). Buy or reserve tickets through me(staceysproule@gmail.com) or Awkward Stage but make sure you do it before February 23rd!!!

If you don't want to do the dinner there is the option to come by at 9pm, and Pay What you Can for tea, coffee and live music. The Tiny Knives will be playing and someone else (TBA).

I gurantee a very delightful evening!

You Just Haven't Earned it Yet, Baby (Complete)

2010-02-02T16:02:00.004-05:00

It's up! You Just haven't Earned it Yet, Baby in the window box at Gallery 1313 (1313 Queen St West) You should go see it at dusk! (but before the gallery closes for the night, because they lock the gate and you can't see it).In conjunction with the exhibition I am teaching a FREE knitting workshop on Sunday the 21st of February at Gallery 1313. There are 15 spaces available (space is already disappearing) so you must RSVP to me (email me at stacey_sproule@hotmail.com)

You need to bring your own yarn and needles. I will be teaching an introduction to freeform knitting and knitting as a sculptural medium.

You can visit 1313's website here.

Conjurings

2010-01-19T18:39:00.005-05:00

After a day of resin casting and another day of cutting out tiny moths here's my progress so far with the light source jar for You Just Haven't Earned it Yet, Baby (For Gallery 1313's window box) The honey-ness of the resin pleased me, I was uncertain in the process whether it would turn out. Here's a few shots of it hanging in my studio, now I just have to make hundreds more moths, the lace waves (knitted in embroidery thread) and an unthinkable number of needle felted cocoons! Almost done, right?

You Just Haven't Earned it Yet, Baby

2010-01-14T20:28:00.004-05:00

Here's a little progress on a piece I am working on to go up in February at Gallery 1313 (in Parkdale, on Queen st West). It will be in the window gallery, and I will be teaching a knitting workshop in conjunction with the show during February. The installation is about the inherent failure one must endure on the road to success. Its has been a lot of material exploration, and I'm enjoying the process quite a bit.

All Fires Have to Burn Alive

2010-01-07T12:29:00.006-05:00

I had a four hour photo shoot(with a tea break of course!) in windy High Park yesterday with Andrew Agnew-Iler and this dress for my upcoming show in London at Forest City Gallery. You've seen some images of this work here before but I have yet to divulge any details.

Well, the Piece is called Maidens, Spindles, and Mother-of-All (Named after some parts of a spinning wheel). Here's a blurb:

Twenty eight individuals will be adorned in elaborate costumes evoking the architectural forms inherent in nature. They will emulate the various cycles of life as they move and function as one organism made of smaller component parts. This performance functions as a way to honour that which sustains us. Using the beehive as the locus, this work is a metaphor of social exchange not just in human society but societies in the natural world as well, (such as a bee or ant colonies).
Maidens, Spindles, and Mother-of-All aims to mirror symbiotic relationships in nature, that co-operation and balancing of strengths and weaknesses within individuals to arrive at the most efficient use of energy.

So High Park was very cold yesterday, especially with no cocoon! The dress I'm wearing in these pictures is a costume, there will be 5 of these moth encircled characters in the performance. There is also a sound aspect which will grow from working with the performers and will take shape from sounds the body makes (ie. heartbeat, sighs, breathing, yawns).

Well.

Back to Work!

In Dark Trees

2009-12-09T09:22:00.004-05:00

Here's the prototype for the 'In Dark Trees' Bonnet. It is entirely dry felted, with wire reeds coming off the one side and a strap that buttons on the other side. I wanted it to be bulky and obscure the face a bit. The texture is sort of fungus-like, and I like the way it holds the light. The softness is important too, I didn't want it to be too much like a helmet. It's very warm and it is surprisingly comfortable, except for the itchiness.

Chassagne Farm

2009-12-03T21:15:00.005-05:00

In hopes of learning about the complete cycle of where wool comes from the lovely Maria and I took a day trip to a sheep farm just outside of Guelph today. If you are looking for a farm to visit I would highly recommend Chassagne Farm. Their motto is Where Happy Sheep Live! and I would safely say the every being that lives on that land is happier than a pig in the mud. Carole Precious was kind enough to show us around and explain the processes and the work that goes in raising sheep for wool. All the sheep on their farm are descendants from a flock of pregnant ewes brought over from the Shetland Isles by Carole's father in law. Shetlands are known for their high quality fleeces which make excellent yarns. They are also adorable and I'll admit I've fallen in love, with the farm, the sheep, their two donkeys, and a excitable doberman named Colonel.

Some highlights, in pictures:

A lovely Donkey, she protects the sheep from predators.

I was being sized up by the young ewes

These are the young Rams. They look crammed in but they just all ran to the back of the pen when we came near. It was amusing.

He was ready for his close-up apparently

A good example of High-tailing it.

I would like to go back to witness the shearing in June, it makes for quite a day Carole says. She is a lovely woman and a pleasure to talk to, its very clear that this is her passion and I'll leave you with the Winston Churchill quote they have on their website:

"There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man."

Forest City Here I Come!

2009-11-25T15:46:00.007-05:00

It's a secret so you only get to look and imagine what I must be up to. Isn't this exciting?!?

Let's Catch Up!

2009-11-25T14:36:00.008-05:00

Hi Friends,
Let's Catch Up!

I did so many things since I saw you last it will be a challenge to remember them all.

Here goes:

All Over Again was a huge success, I had many talented guests visit me in my hibernation quarters during that time. The Toronto F. Morris Men danced the night away on opening night, Isla Craig serenaded me, Micheal Briand gave me a tattoo (its a beaut!), Randy Gagne and I remembered, Neelam Kler read my cards and we had a delicious high tea on the final day. It truly was an amazing experience and it set me up for a fruitful and productive spring and summer.

Then I whipped up a tornado to reek havoc in the window at the Knit Cafe on Queen Street West.

What else...... I'll tell you what else! Isla Craig (my beautiful and talented friend) After a successful CD Release decided to shoot a video, with the aid of the equally lovely and talented Victoria Cheong, and myself as the costumer (with lots of help from Dai!)

I can't wait to see the finished video!

Randy and I worked on a number of projects during this time as well, At 918 Bathurst we made and installed Fantasy Photo-Op as a part of Contact.

We performed Mornings are Wiser than Evenings at De Leon White Gallery,

And we Sandwich hugged unsuspecting pedestrians in Peterbourgh for ArtsWeek.

We also did a short performance at the Box Salon but I regret I do not have any pictures from that event.

PLUS I started a knitting school! Want to learn to knit you old sea-dog, you? I implore you to explore purldivers.wordpress.com

And that's most of it! Now we're in a new house, with a new studio, new work, new shows, new, new, new! Look forward to reading about my trials and tribulations as I prepare for a major solo exhibition (performance) in London Ontario at Forest City Gallery!

All Ashore that's Going Ashore!

Death Mask 2

2009-02-24T18:56:00.004-05:00

Oh no, its been so long! But that's not to say I wasn't working on things. With the deadline approaching for the play I'm doing props for I've made significant progress I'd like to share.
Here is the first Death Mask done:

and here's a set of antlers which will reside atop the bleeding coffin:

Isla Craig

2009-02-16T11:54:00.005-05:00

Do you know Isla Craig? Maybe you should, if you don't. Isla and I are (very slowly) working on a project wherein she tells me everything I would every want to know about her and I construct her an elaborate wedding dress. She can tell you a fascinating tale about the marriage of her mother, ask her!

So here's what I'm thinking, Isla, the back of the dress has two wooden blocks sewn on the back. the top block has metal objects hanging from strings on it (keys, forks, nails, etc.) the bottom block has guitar strings stretched across it. They bounce against each other when you walk so there's always music with you. You could sing along with it if you like. Here's a possibilty for the front of the dress, I'm not sure about the skirt. What do you think?

A little help from my friends

2009-02-15T19:48:00.007-05:00

There haven't been too many new developments this week because I've been preparing for a fundraiser dinner party of epic porportions. Well, friday was the big day and it was a hit all round; no one went home hungry. A really big thanks to Randy, Vanessa, and Kathryn whom I couldn't have done it without. And a great big thanks to everyone who came (and contributed but couldn't make it). Sometimes my work takes a village....

And here's some more blood shots, the light was quite dim, but I'm still impressed with the visual impact:

Blood and Hibernation Clothes

2009-02-11T11:34:00.011-05:00

In April I will be in group exhibition at Lonsdale Gallery called Responsive Space. I'm going to be sitting in the gallery for as many days as possible in a state of contemplation and readying myself for the spring. In preparation for this show I'm working through the remaining winter months making a hibernation wardrobe (one outfit per day of the week that the gallery is open) Canning preserves to sustain myself during that time, and making furniture to make a cozy home space in the gallery, to be coated with quilts and throws (all handmade) making a space not unlike a human nest.

Anyways, All the clothing is made from second hand fabrics or old garments, the first fully completed outfit (seen left) is a top made from an old stretch knit I found at Value Village (which is this amazing Aubergine colour, the photo doesn't do it justice) And the skirt is cut from a vintage dress. The idea here is that one can fall asleep in the folds of the garments. But I also wanted them to bear resemblance to garments of a time when people were more self-sufficient. Clothing that offers ease of movement while completing laborious tasks as well as warmth, modesty, but still remains slightly flattering. The skirt has gathers at the back, giving it a bit of a bustle, and it looks vaguely Victorian. The shirt I'm not sure about. I think I like it, its very comfortable but I'm not convinced of its shape. There's a lot of room in the bust, its kind of a cape with sleeves. The process I went through to make it was very intuitive but I feel like its not done. Here's another shot of the shirt from the front (note my heroic pose):

After I alter a black cloak which I bought second hand (I'm shortening it to knee length, adding a hood and replacing the buttons with covered buttons) I'm going to get started on this outfit:

A quilted Turtle Shell coat. You are just going to have to wait to see how this turns out.

Now for the Blood! More set design for the play at the New Ideas Festival. Crocheted blood will be seeping out of the coffin, and a pair of bloody deer's antlers will be sticking out on top. yum.

I hope to have some images on site of the blood by the end of this week.

See you soon!

Home like a bee

2009-02-07T22:59:00.000-05:00

Today I fired off a sketch for a piece in its early conceptual stages. Also in the early stages, the proposal:

I see a natural architectural object such as a beehive as a single functioning unit made of component parts. Each compartment is specific storage each bee with a designated task designed to allow the structure to function as one. In light of my fascination with both catacomb-like structures and conduit systems for storing information it seems fitting to make beehives to store my memories. I’d like to construct three large beehive structures (one for every ten years of my life, the last beehive being only one third finished) to house objects, words, or memory triggers. Each beehive will be roughly my height and constructed entirely from felted wool (dry needle felted as much as possible). They will hang in the gallery and windows on the outer walls will give a peek into the space within.

Death Masks

2009-02-06T16:15:00.001-05:00

I've been asked to create Death Masks for a play which will be a part of the first week of the New Ideas Festival .(The play is called Iphigenia at her Funeral). I immediately thought of my friend Erika Defreitas's death masks she made with her mother. The piece was documented in a series of photographs, (which are stunning and terrifying all at once) in which they are seen with their faces covered in delicate icing flowers used to decorate cakes. The texture and the impact of the colour in these masks is what I'd like to focus on for the masks I'm making. Working from my bleeding hearts work (from what seems like years ago now!) as a point of departure:

Each mask will look like a masticated belclava with no eye or mouth holes and streams of chained crochet hanging from the chin and cheek bones. I'm hoping these will look blank and void, shrouding the emotion conveyed in the face and unifying each of the characters left on stage at the end into deadness. The colour will be very important, Like the bleeding hearts I'll use a range of shades from reds and redish browns to pinks, fuschia, purple, coral, and a small amount of green for contrast.

Here's my progress:

This is half the face, done in freeform knitting, I've added a few eyelet holes on the side and I'll be picking up stitches on the surface to cable and crochet baubles into, it just looks like a weirdo beret at the moment. Updates to follow!

Welcome to the Activity Centre

2009-02-03T00:47:00.000-05:00

So here I am. I know this seems a bit out of character or awkward but it is entirely nessecary. I see this as a kind of training wheels to ease myself into my website (in the works). I'd also like to see if there is any benefit to sharing my process and promoting discussion on my trajectory and progress as an artist. I see this also as a place to hash out the kinks and snags that populate works in progress. And I'd like to feel less isolated and more open to input. I'm including you in my journey so prepare yourselves, in the coming weeks I'll be introducing you to my nautical obsession, my fabric and yarn stash, my inability to cease knitting, and my interest in the function of memory.

A spoiler?

Giant felted beehive structures, collaborative wedding dresses, obsolete technology nooks, and north winds.

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